Macron boosts nuclear power plans to meet France’s net-zero ambitions
France will construct a series of large nuclear power plants for the first time in decades, as the nuclear powerhouse seeks to neutralise carbon emissions by 2050 and reduce its reliance on unreliable gas imports.
The announcement, made by French President Emmanuel Macron in a televised address to the nation just five months out from national elections, will revive debate in Europe over the role of nuclear technology in combating climate change but also carries the risk of huge cost blowouts and construction delays.
More than 70 per cent of the country’s electricity generation comes from its 56 reactors, although Macron had promised early in his term to lower nuclear contribution to 50 per cent by 2035.
But in a shift, the French President on Tuesday night, Paris time (Wednesday morning AEDT) said the country would rededicate itself to atomic power.
“To guarantee France’s energy independence, to guarantee our country’s electricity supply, and to reach our goals - notably carbon neutrality in 2050 - we will for the first time in decades revive the construction of nuclear reactors in our country, and continue to develop renewable energy,” Macron said.
He did not give details but the comments were seen as a reference to the expected green-lighting of as many as 14 next-generation nuclear plants proposed by grid operator RTE.
Macron made the announcement against the background of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, where new forms of electricity generation have been identified as a key issue in the fight against climate change, and an energy crisis in Europe triggered by falling gas supplies and an unusually calm summer and autumn which has affected the output of wind turbines.
While confidence in nuclear took a hit in France following the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, it is still a relatively uncontroversial technology compared to other countries such as Australia, where some Coalition MPs are pushing Prime Minister Scott Morrison to explore its feasibility.
Macron sought to tie the new nuclear push to French innovation and national pride - key themes for the President as he enters a tough presidential election campaign in 2022.
The vast majority of France’s nuclear facilities were built in the 1970s and 1980s. A third reactor is being added to a plant in Flamanville, in the Normandy region, but the project which started in 2007 has been plagued by cost overruns and huge delays.
Greenpeace France energy transition campaigner Nicolas Nace condemned Macron’s latest announcement and pointed to the Flamanville project to claim nuclear power was “too expensive, too slow and too dangerous”.
A new nuclear facility being constructed in Somerset, England, has also been hit by delays and cost blowouts.
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Fossil fuels form the basis of our medical and food supply chains
Under President Joe Biden’s plan to rid America of fossil fuels, such a plan would eliminate the medical industry that is completely reliant on the products made from petroleum derivatives, and eliminate oil-based fertilizers to grow the crops that feed the 8 billion people on planet earth. Surprisingly, Biden must be oblivious to the consequences of his plan, as efforts to cease the use of oil could be the greatest threat to civilization—not climate change.
Biden supports the end of fracking, oil exploration, and oil importing which cuts off the supply chain of crude oil to refineries. Without any crude oil to manufacture, elimination of the supply chain to the 131 operating refineries in the U.S. would eliminate that manufacturing sector.
Without refineries, there will be none of the oil derivatives that are manufactured from crude oil—the basis of more than 6,000 products in our economy and lifestyles.
Without the supply chain of crude oil, not only is the refining industry history, but the domino effects of the destructive impacts will be taken upon the medical, food supply, electronics, and communications industries, as they are all totally dependent on the products made from oil derivatives manufactured from crude oil. Any grade-school-educated kid can understand that breezes and sunshine, can only make weather-dependent intermittent electricity.
The medical industry is reliant on the products derived from the derivatives manufactured from oil that produce all the critical medical equipment such as: ultrasound systems, defibrillators, exhalation valves, inhalation valves, CT systems, X-ray, medicines, masks, gloves, soap, hand sanitizers for hospitals, protective gowns, gloves, and face shields for doctors and nurses.
Is Biden oblivious to the fact that all of those medical products begin from crude oil, or as the Wall Street Journal states—”Big Oil to the Coronavirus Rescue”? Vaccines need refrigeration, and refrigeration needs electricity, especially in the hospital sector where redundant generation capacity for continuous, uninterruptable electricity, is a mandate.
While Biden attempts to lower emissions at any cost, in favor of some weather-dependent electricity from breezes and sunshine that can only survive with massive subsidies, coal imports and exports continue to increase internationally to meet the electricity generation needs of developing countries, as reflected in the Merrill Lynch Global Energy Weekly report.
At least 80 percent of humanity, or more than 6 billion in this world cannot subsidize themselves out of a paper bag as they are living on less than $10 a day. To reduce emissions in the developing countries that control most emissions, the wealthy countries would need to step up and subsidize electricity generation from breezes and sunshine, to then replace more than 3,000 coal fired power plants in developing countries like China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Africa, and Vietnam—with billions of people seeking affordable electricity.
The oil that reduced infant mortality, extended longevity to more than 80 years of age, and allowed the world to populate from 1 to 8 billion in less than 200 short years, is now required to provide the food, medical, communications, and transportation infrastructures to maintain and grow that population.
A key question for President Biden before America attends the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC/COP26) Conference in Glasgow, Scotland in November:
How dare pro-humanity individuals and governments support banishment of fossil fuels, when their banishment would be the greatest threat to civilization resulting in billions dying from starvation, diseases, and weather-related deaths?
Eliminating the use of fossil fuels would reverse most of the progress humanity has made over the last few centuries. The inventions of the automobile, airplane, and the use of petroleum in the early 1900’s led us into the Industrial Revolution, and victories in World War I and II. The healthier and wealthier countries of today now have more than 6,000 products that did not exist a few hundred years ago, all manufactured from fossil fuels—the same fossil fuels that Biden wants to eliminate.
Under Biden’s plan to rid American lifestyles and economies of fossil fuels, such a plan would ground the military, the space program, and Air Force One. It would also mothball the huge energy demands of airlines, cruise ships, merchant ships, and eliminate the medical, electronics, and the communications industry that are totally reliant on the 6,000 products made from petroleum derivatives.
The first use of oil-based fertilizers took place in 1946, and today our food supply is dependent on hydrocarbons. The world’s population of 8 billion souls depends on oil-based fertilizers in order to grow the crops, and feed the animals that are consumed each year. Any cessation of hydrocarbons will immediately result in the annihilation of billions of souls, returning the globe to a 1950 population count of approximately 2.5 billion souls.
How can a pro-humanity President Biden support COVID vaccines to save thousands of lives, and simultaneously support ridding the world of fossil fuels that would be the greatest threat to civilization, resulting in billions dying from starvation, diseases, and weather-related deaths?
https://www.cfact.org/2021/10/19/pharmaceutical-production-isometric-multistore-composition/
*****************************************U.S. Coal Industry Says Almost Sold-Out For 2022
U.S. coal miners are enjoying the surge in demand for the fossil fuel, with almost all of their production through the end of next year—and some into 2023 even—already sold, according to a Bloomberg report.
Prices are higher, too. According to the report, Arch Resources, the second-largest coal miner in the United States, has sold its 2022 output at prices 20 percent above current spot market rates. This suggests that this year’s surge in coal demand may not be just a short-lived hiccup in the energy transition.
Share prices of coal miners are also rising amid the demand surge. Peabody Energy Corp., America’s largest coal miner, saw its stock gain 17 percent within a day earlier this month.
U.S. coal-fired electricity generation is expected to increase this year for the first time since 2014, after years of decline, according to information published by the Energy Information Administration. The increase from 2020 is seen at a hefty 21 percent. Yet this will be a short-lived trend as the EIA also noted that as much as 30 percent of coal-fired power plants have been retired since 2010 and no new plants have been built since 2013 as the country shifts towards low-carbon energy generation.
Yet demand for coal from other parts of the world, namely Asia, is likely to remain strong in the coming years, opening up export opportunities. China is building new coal plants at a fast rate, and India continues to rely on coal for 70 percent of its electricity generation.
Meanwhile, however, coal stocks in the United States are shrinking. Down by 13.2 percent in August from a month earlier, coal stockpiles stood at 84 million tons, according to the Energy Information Administration. This is the lowest August total since 2001 when records of this nature began
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Well done! Australia has been ranked last for its climate policies behind Russia and Brazil
Like most conservatives wordwide, Australian conservativs don't think global warming is a serious threat. So our conservative PM just puts out flim-flam policies about it, with minimal damage to the economy
But Australia is not alone in walking on both sides of the street. Germany claims great climate virtue but is busily building coal-fired power stations -- including brown coal, the most polluting coal of all. Everybody else is supposed to be phasing out coal. I wonder why Australia's coal exports are at a record high?
Australia's climate policies have been ranked last out of 64 countries and the nation is among the worst offenders for emissions, renewables and energy use.
The country slipped four spots to 58th overall place in the latest Climate Change Performance Index unveiled at the COP26 summit in Glasgow.
Australia ranked last among 64 countries behind the likes of Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Brazil in terms of climate policy.
The country's highest ranking was 52 for renewables, followed by a score of 54 for energy use and 56 for greenhouse gas emissions.
The index criticised Australia for bringing to Glasgow a 2050 target of net zero emissions that involved no new policies or plans.
Its 'technology investment roadmap' was deemed insufficient to decarbonise the economy, cut fossil fuel use and promote renewables.
'This failure to promote renewables ... is exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure investment despite subsidies for fossil fuel production and promotion of a 'gas-led' economic recovery following COVID-19,' the ranking said.
'The country's international standing has been damaged by climate denialism by politicians, refusal to increase ambition and refusal to recommit to international green finance mechanisms.'
The annual ranking designed by German environmentalists has compared the performance of countries responsible for 90 per cent of global emissions since 2005 across four key categories.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has emphasised Australia's 'technology not taxes' approach to climate change led by private investment over government leavers.
The latest policy is a $250million 'future fuels' plan aimed at getting up to 1.7 million electric and hybrid vehicles on Australian roads by 2030.
'It's the private sector that now is responding to consumers, they're responding to what people want,' Mr Morrison said.
'Governments don't have to step in and tell everybody what to do anymore when it comes to this, if they ever did.'
The plan was criticised by the electric vehicle industry for leaving out tax incentives or fuel efficiency standards.
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My other blogs. Main ones below
http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM )
http://edwatch.blogspot.com (EDUCATION WATCH)
http://pcwatch.blogspot.com (POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH)
http://australian-politics.blogspot.com (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
http://snorphty.blogspot.com/ (TONGUE-TIED)
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Jim Hansen and his twin
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